Musings, dreams, thoughtcrimes.

Obama, skeptical of dogma

I was always suspicious of dogma, and the excesses of the left and the right. One of my greatest criticisms of the Republican Party over the last 20 years is that it’s not particularly conservative. I can read conservatives from an earlier era—a George Will or a Peggy Noonan—and recognize wisdom, because it has much more to do with respect for tradition and the past and I think skepticism about being able to just take apart a society and put it back together. Because I do think that communities and nations and families aren’t subject to that kind of mechanical approach to change. But when I look at Tom DeLay or some of the commentators on Fox these days, there’s nothing particularly conservative about them.

In all seriousness, I think what Obama needs is a bumper-sticker guy. One who can distill his key thoughts into memorable, easily digestible sentences that he can then use in debates, stump speeches, ads and yes, bumper stickers.